Foggy is a soft toy dog on an adventurous quest to raise funds and awareness for The ME Association. His best friend Patch’s favourite human has M.E.
His blog aims to show the human perspective of M.E and to raise awareness of the invisible debilitating illness.

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Friday, 31 October 2014

Hello!!Foggy is having a fab time in Iceland with Finley; I'm sure Sally will upload lots of photos this weekend so you can all see what Foggy has been up to.Foggy has made lots of new friends...see the photos below...he's met Bertie the Bat, Frankie - Stein, Percy the pumpkin and Susie the spider. They had lots of fun celebrating Halloween and hanging out together.

Sally, what is on my head?.......

Foggy and his gang

Foggy's gang hanging out together!

Foggy hopes you all have fun tonight but be safe when you go trick or treating.Doggy snogs,Foggy xxxx

Saturday, 25 October 2014

Sally post again...sorry Foggy!Back in 2007 when I first started with M.E. symptoms and had almost weekly hospital visits trying to establish what was wrong; I, obviously, turned to friends for support. In the most part, I received fantastic support and I will be eternally grateful for the phone calls, girly chats, visits I received while I was stuck at home. However, one friend's reaction will always tweak a hurt response from me. I won't name him but he will know who he is when he reads this.In a paragraph, to sum up what was said (obviously not word for word...it was 7 years ago!): 'Get over yourself. You will not have a never been seen illness. You aren't a one off, there are probably millions of people with the same thing. Stop going on about it. You'll get diagnosed eventually, take a pill and recover. For god sake it's not as if you have got cancer'.I'll just let you digest that.....I may now be diagnosed (kind of....everything else has been ruled out....but...), yes there are millions of us with the same (ish) symptoms. When you are stuck at home with no idea why you feel so dreadful, feeling like your previous 'living life to the full' self has gone, and being fobbed off by doctors it is the only thing you have any desire to talk about!! As you will all be aware now, if you have been following this campaign, there is no treatment...let alone a pill!! As for recovery ........ who knows!! The last comment about cancer is particularly hurtful. Unfortunately, because you can see the ravaging effects of cancer people do not see M.E. as being in the same league but, as someone who has had cancer, I can tell you it is just as debilitating, life changing and devastating to the sufferer, family and friends.

Since then I have a much more positive outlook and get on with life much more than before. I am lucky to be able to do that; there are many sufferers out there with symptoms much worse than mine and living a full life isn't possible.

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Hello!!!Foggy is STILL enroute to British Columbia *sigh*.....eaten all of the Wotsits and the crumbs are everywhere now. Boredom has well and truly set in and he can't wait to meet Kristen and her family now! Come on american/canadian postal services...don't let Foggy down!While he is flying in first class (surrounded by bubbles) Foggy has decided he would like to know how SEVERE M.E. sufferer support networks deal with M.E. So, (depending on how it is classified in your household) if you are a carer, spouse or a member of a support network, Foggy would like to hear from you. Foggy would like to know how it has affected YOUR life; what are your feelings towards this terrible illness and what are your hopes for the future?Please contact Sally at mefoggydog@gmail.com if you would like to write a blog post. It does not have to be long; Foggy wants to see your perspective of M.E. so he can understand, and make others realise, the impact M.E. has on everyone concerned.Doggy snogs xxxx

Friday, 17 October 2014

Foggy has now been globetrotting for 3 months and while he is chilling in his jiffy bag on the way to Walhachin, British Columbia he thought he should do some kind of write up of his exploits so far.

He has met some lovely people on his travels: he went to the CBeebies Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in London with Patrick and his family, ascended Snowdon with Linda, met Romans with Sharon, been to London VISA shopping with Cerianne and Harley, planted a ceramic poppy at the Tower of London and met a beefeater with Yvonne (lovely day out for Sally too), went on a plane for the first time with Linda to Jersey, saw some big rocks and went on a very long walk at Stonehenge with Sally and Michele and went SKYDIVING!!!!! Then of course he went overseas!

Turkey was his first overseas visit and Foggy have a lovely time with Michele looking at ruins at Eupheseus and sunbathing, then he went on a last minute trip to New Zealand because Foggy's Mount Kilimanjaro adventure was cancelled. Foggy had a lovely time in Christchurch; it was a true reflection of how Christchurch is post earthquake - a building site!

Then Foggy came back to the UK to go surfing with Uncle Derek and Auntie Pauline in Bude, Cornwall. Foggy had such a lovely time! When he got back he had a day trip to the Isle of WIght with Sally and her family. Foggy met dinosaurs!!! WOW!

Next came his fly/drive/choochoo train trip across America. He started in Portland, Oregon where he visited the Port of Garibaldi and went fishing with Yvonne and then headed to Santa Cruz where he did some sightseeing and shopping. Then it was a very slow postal jiffy bag trip to Florida where Foggy chilled out, met the local wildlife, sunbathed and had some retail therapy with Ann and co. He had hoped to meet some Disney characters but he 'just' missed out due to having to jet off to Canada. Foggy is upset that he didn't meet Goofy....doggy idol!!

Foggy has so many future adventures planned his head is spinning!!! 9 months left.......eek! 43,500 miles clocked up already....his paws are getting a little bit tired. Lots of rest and play in Walhachin will sort him out....wide open spaces...lovely.Please keep donating and make his efforts worthwhile .

Monday, 13 October 2014

Hello!!Foggy has allowed me to hijack his blog again. So much has happened this weekend it was hard for his doggy brain to compute it all!!All Foggy Followers will have noticed that it was my birthday this weekend....I love birthdays and want the whole world to know when it's my special day! Sorry if it was a bit self indulgent but hey...I think I'm worth it :) My birthday ALWAYS coincides with the Royal Marines Band Service Reunion weekend in the UK. My dad was in the RM Band for 26 years and so I grew up enveloped in the world of music and friendship. The reunion is held in Portsmouth each year (handy for my family!) and we always attend to catch up with old friends. My dads band friends are like extended family and I love them all dearly xx

The evening's bar staff...not the usual day job!! Thanks for the photo guys xx

Anyway, just in case anyone was interested in the campaign I took along some of Foggy's business cards (very organised for once!) and some I Heart Foggy signs in case any slightly tipsy people wanted to support Foggy with a photo on Saturday evening. I was blown away by the enthusiasm I received. I will always be amazed by just how many people are connected to M.E. by spouses, relatives and friends. As I have said throughout this campaign, M,E. is becoming increasingly common and touches most people in one way or another.

Say I Heart Foggy and smile :)

On Sunday was the RM Band Memorial Service at Portsmouth Cathedral. This is always an emotive service remembering bandsmen who are no longer with us. We were treated with an orchestral mini concert prior to the service - fantastic as usual. More fundraising/networking was done on the Sunday too...Foggy's word was definitely well and truly spread! Over the two days lovely RM Band folks (ex and serving) donated £183 to Foggy's campaign...I managed to sell around 10 badges - important conversation starters! Thanks to the hard selling techniques of Debs and Butch the badges were a success! Fabulous!

Selfie!!

If I am honest I hadn't expected any interest. Up to this point in the campaign I have had little or no interest from military people. Because serving personnel are physically fit many don't understand invisible illness. It's not something they encounter on a daily basis unless family/civilian friends are affected. So, I was a little overwhelmed by the support I received.

This man's nickname is Foggy.....tee hee

I would like to say thank you very much to every person who has talked to me about Foggy, donated or offered to help the campaign this weekend. I am extremely grateful for the donations and enthusiasm received.Enjoy some of the photos from Saturday night.Bye for now...I'm off for a rest!! Sally xxx

Selfie!! Thanks Tony xx

'We heart Foggy'

Caleb would only pose with a pint in his hand....Apparently Foggy isn't butch lol

Oh and....Foggy managed to send birthday wishes in his own special way from Florida......

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Here is Foggy's itinerary as at 7/10/14. Sally has allowed for postage time but appreciates dates may vary slightly when Foggy has to be posted on to the next destination.

Where is Sally sending me now?!

6th October - 14th October USA (Florida)

15th October - 21st October CANADA (British Columbia)

24th October - 31st October ICELAND

1st November - Barbarians v Australia - UK, TWICKENHAM

3rd November - 14th November CAPE TOWN

21st November - 8th December JORDAN

GAP AVAILABLE FOR FOGGY-SITTING VOLUNTEERS

28th December - 7th January SPAIN

20th January - 8th February INDIA (Kerala)

10th February - 18th February AUSTRALIA (Neighbours!!!!!)

21st February - 28th February USA (New York)

4th March - 10th March GERMANY

GAP AVAILABLE FOR FOGGY-SITTING VOLUNTEERS

17th March - 2nd April JAPAN (Osaka)

Nothing else has been booked after Foggy's trip to Osaka. If you would like to volunteer to Foggy sit please email Sally at mefoggydog@gmail.com.Foggy would love to be somewhere lovely for Christmas; please volunteer to Foggy sit if you are either overseas or going on holiday.

Saturday, 4 October 2014

Foggy is en-route to Florida and is thinking of all of his worldwide Foggy followers...he hopes you are all having a 'good' day by your own standards. Foggy doggy snogs xxx

Foggy wanted to spread a little bit more awareness of how M.E. can affect anyone no matter what sex, age or location. The following blog is from a lovely man called Nick. He is dutch but currently lives in Germany. He has offered to look after Foggy this Christmas and so Foggy will be enjoying a lovely festive german Christmas with Nick and his family.

Here is Nick's story....

Hello from Germany! I am Nick and
I am 28 years old

In 2006 I was suddenly struck down with terrible joint pains and over the next
2 months the pain got worse. I went to see a rheumatologist who could not find
a cause.
Soon after I became sicker and I got more and more health problems. I was getting extremely tired and I got more and more pain in my body. I went from doctor to doctor and each time I was told it's a physical health
problem.
I had a lot of problems and stress with work; I was unable to work because of my
health problems and my work health doctor said I wasn’t ill.
The problem was that no doctor could find anything (only arthritis and liver
problems) and they said it was all in my head.
I get no benefits because I ‘do not have a disease’, it's time that ME / CFS
become officially recognized as a serious illness (It’s recognised even less in
Germany/Netherlands than it is in the UK -Sally).
I was no longer taken seriously, even my friends and family began to doubt
whether I was really sick when doctors said they couldn’t find anything wrong.
I found it so bad that everyone thought I was just depressed and not sick! I
lost everyone; I have now just my partner and parents.
People who don’t know me well call me lazy and a poser.
The biggest problem is that people see nothing because it is an invisible
illness and they believe you are too lazy to work.
I may go into town once in a while and people say it can’t be that bad because
I am up and about. What they do not see is that I am very sick for the next 2
weeks and have to lie in a dark room so my senses are not overstimulated.
I have now become so ill I hardly leave my house and almost never do fun
activities.

Six years on and I have the following symptoms:
- Extreme fatigue

- Arthritis - pain in my whole body

- Painful lymph nodes in neck / jaw / groin

- Malaise / fever

- Stomach / intestinal pain

- Sore throat and painful salivary glands

- Low blood pressure

- Canker sores attacks

- Severe migraines

- Muscular pains

- Allergic reactions

- Chronic colds/ ear problems

- Sore arms, hands and legs /pinching sensation

- Bad eyes/Sensitivity to lights/ blurred vision

- Forgetfulness and depersonalization

- Rashes

- Abnormal liver function

- Sleep problems

After more than six years , three rheumatologists, one cardiologist, two
psychologists and a number of other doctors, I still have no diagnosis.

I have been left to my own devices; it is very difficult to be positive
and I am hoping there will soon be a time when research leads to diagnosis and
treatment so I can start to live again!

We have to fight together!

7 years ago I was going to the disco every week and I was a very busy person.
Now I find pleasure in singing birds and blue sky.

We are not crazy or lazy; we are sick people who want to live!

Never lose hope!

Thanks to Foggy for letting me tell my story.

Please follow Foggy’s campaign, donate and help to raise research
funding.

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Back in August Foggy went to Turkey with Michele. While he was there he wrote a diary. Unfortunately the diary and the camera cable went missing and have only just been found! Here is his diary and photos from his turkish adventure!

Foggy’s
Turkey holiday diary

Thursday
21st August

In the minibus....on our way!!

The minibus turned up at 2pm to pick me up, the only male
(apart from the driver) in a group of 10 women. It was a raucous trip to the
airport. After a meal in Wetherspoons to pass the time the flight left in the
early evening. After 4 hours, my first time on a plane…. We arrived in the early hours to a balmy 25
degrees. A further transfer of 1 hour 30 minutes followed before we arrived at
the Tuntas Aparthotel in Turkey. Time for bed me thinks – night all
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Friday 22nd
August

After a few hours kip I awoke to temperatures over 30
degrees and a leisurely breakfast on the terrace. Time spent by the pool
sunbathing until mid-afternoon and then a trip on the dolmus (small bus) to the
centre of the town for a spot of shopping.

Saturday
23rd August

More lovely blue skies and leisure time spent by the pool.
Bliss, I could get used

to this…..

Sunday 24th
August

We all headed down to the port today for a boat trip. The
sky was blue, the sea was calm and the upper deck was festooned with cushions. Music
was piped onto the deck to put us in the party mood and we set sail. We weighed
anchor when we reached a cove to give the humans a chance to cool off. I settled
in the shade, content to watch…. After a while we set off again cruising along
the coast. Another stop and time for a spot of lunch, it’s a hard life…. The last stop was a stop at a shingle beach before a leisurely cruise back to
port. We hit a bit of a

Boat trip!

swell towards the end of our trip and I must admit I
felt a bit green in the gills, but all in all a relaxing day was had by all.

Monday 25th
August

A few of us decided to take the long coach trip to
Pamukkale. It’s 3 hours from Kusadasi but a must see trip. The
first stop was to a very nice 5* hotel for lunch and a swim in the
white sulphurous water followed by a wallow in the red muddy water. Then we were off to see the main attraction nearby where
the hot waters spring from the earth and cascade over a cliff and
the mineral deposits are left behind giving it a snow capped appearance. The
walk up was a challenge for the humans who had to walk

Can you see me?!

barefoot over the hard
ground and try not to slip on the flowing water. It took approximately 30
minutes to reach the summit, with lots of photo opportunities on the way and
the views throughout the climb were stunning…

A short walk from the top was the famous “Cleopatra’s Pool”.
The humans decided to have a swim amongst the ruins while I rested (they seem
to be obsessed with bathing…).

Sadly all too soon the time was up and we had to dash to get
back to the coach by the departure time. We made it by the skin of
our teeth. Then another long 3 hour journey homeward but it was so worth it…

Tuesday
26th August

We decided to have a bit of a culture day today and a few of
us decided to take a short taxi ride to visit Ephesus. Here some
amazing ruins can be found in surprisingly good condition and you can really
picture what life must have been like in ancient roman times. I have to say
there were far too many cats about

Ephesus

for my liking… The other downside was the
heat, it must have been topping 40 degrees, it’s a good job we had plenty of
water and we were mainly walking downhill… But the ruins did provide lots of
photo opportunities for such a handsome chap as me…

Wednesday
27th August

We decided it was time for
some relaxation today and spent the day sunbathing by the pool.

Thursday
28th August

Sadly we had reached the last day of our holiday. As our
flight wasn’t leaving until the early hours of Friday morning we packed up and
vacated our rooms and spent the remainder of the day by the pool. A last

Chilling by the pool

minute
spot of shopping followed by a meal and then we were off to the airport on the
transfer coach. A very tired party of 10 plus me arrived in Gatwick at 4am and
3 hours later I was back and my human Sally came to collect me. What an amazing
trip, of course I expect to have many more adventures…